Friday, September 28, 2012

Do you remember when we were growing up that only divorced ladies who smoked cigarettes wore leopard prints?

To: Aggles

From: Linda

I do remember Mrs. H. driving us to school in her leopardskin pants, smoking cigarettes and playing "Is That All There Is" over and over on her 8-track.

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From: Barbara

To: Linda

I just love that vest, you know I have to have that one too now! ;o) We have a Costco here and I will look if it's there.
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From: WaldropSubject: Vest inspection noticeTo: Linda

Dear Ms. W. Davick,

It has come to my attention that you recently received a vest purchased at Costco, though you are not yourself a member of that esteemed establishment. While that is not expressly forbidden, as Vest Inspector for Costco it is my duty to inform you that all vests received by non-members must be inspected by me or my staff and certified with a little tiny stamp. Please send the vest to the Florida Vest Inspection Dept. located in Altamonte Springs, in care of Barbara, the Florida Vest Inspection Dept. Goods Receiver. You will be reimbursed for postage in full sometime.

Tuesday, September 25, 2012

Monday, September 24, 2012

At the last meeting of our writing class msmasmush wore this unbelievably great vest. Black with leopardskin trim. "I MUST HAVE THAT VEST!" is how I greeted her after not having seen her for months.

She told me she bought it at Costco. I was shocked! I'm not a member of that exclusive club where you have to pay $50 even to enter, and one reason I'm not a member is because I thought all they carried was huge pallets of paper towels. Was I wrong.

I stared at the vest all through class. When class was over Mary Ann (that's msmasmush) took me to Progressive Grounds for lunch. I stared at the vest some more.

She took a photo of me with her phone and sent it to Kristin. So I took a photo of Mary Ann scowling and sent it to Kristin.

I said, "Kristin, isn't her vest the very greatest thing you have ever seen in your entire life? Are you a member of Costco? If you are, will you buy me one next time you're there and I'll pay you back and buy you a delicious lunch to boot next time you get a filling?" (Kristin lives in Half Moon Bay, but her dentist is right down the street from me.)

In my note to Kristin I tried not to use exclamation points, because neither one of them likes exclamation points. Mary Ann doesn't like commas either.

Anyway, guess what came in the mail today. The photo below holds a clue.

Thank you, Kristin. A special lunch awaits you & msmush.

And then the doorbell rang again and guess what else came in the mail. The photo below holds a clue:

Oh! I didn't want to forget this part: John and Tom live in Boulder, but John lived in Nepal for a while. So on Friday night we decided to eat at LittleNepal, a sweet restaurant in Bernal Heights. We over-ordered, but had great leftovers for breakfast and dinner the next day. If you go, make sure to order Mismas pakauda to start.

Friday, September 14, 2012

Today Lucille took me to a members-only preview of the William Paley Collection at the de Young. I had a blast, as much because of Lucille as the wondrous paintings. She knows so much about art, and her motto is Have Fun and Lots Of It. I got reprimanded only twice by the Art Guards. Once for getting closer than 18 inches to a painting, and once for wielding a camera.

Thursday, September 13, 2012

All right. Here comes another one, just like the other one (last post). But I had good timing this evening because I ran into my sweet neighbors on the way. And down on the beach I ran smack into Peter and Carmen.

Tuesday, September 11, 2012

Saturday, September 08, 2012

This wall of dahlias is a block long. It runs along the fence outside the Cabrillo Playground. I couldn't believe it! There must be a hundred varieties of this flower along the sidewalk, and all of them are labeled. One is called Dot Com.

Tom said the reason there are so many different kinds of dahlias is because they're octoploids. That means they have eight sets of chromosomes, whereas most plants have only two. Human beings (that's us) have only two.

Friday, September 07, 2012

Today I was able to sneak away during the day and walk during low tide. Everything looks so different in the morning light! Sharp and bright. Or maybe it's just that September is here, San Francisco's favorite month.

Sunday, September 02, 2012

That's the email I got from Anne yesterday. The painting, Garden Hose, is one she had been working on, on and off, for over a year.

I jumped in the car and zoomed over. I entered her studio and there it was on the wall, glowing.

In the foreground of the painting is the cinderblock wall that sits in front of their garden in the back yard. There's a bench by the wall, with a garden hose draped over it. I could look out her studio window and see the bench and the wall. The painting is about 2 x 3 feet, and full of tiny things.

By the bench in the painting is a watering can that Anne made into Picasso himself, directing the piece, wearing a striped shirt of course.

A big fat ground hog sits among flowers that bloom against a vivid red. The garden hose spirals down from the depths of the universe, unwinds through an ocean of creatures, and ends up in the garden, dripping from the bench onto the ground.